Q: I recently retired from AD USAF after 20 years, and immediately was hired as a WG-2 on base. I read the rules for leave accrual rates, but I am unsure if I meet the first condition (retired from service during a Congressional declared war) or not as I served during the Gulf War(s) and the conflict in Afghanistan. I receive four hours per pay period. Do I qualify and for how much time? A: To find an answer to your question, go to www.opm.gov/staffingportal/vetguide.asp and scroll down to Service Credit for Leave Accrual and Retirement.
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Q: I have 20 years in the 0081 special retirement program. With the military buy-back, I have 30 years of creditable federal service. If I accept a position as a fire program administrator for the next five years, at the age of 62, will I be able to retire under the special retirement firefighter program? A: Any employee who has 20 years of covered service as a law enforcement officer or firefighter and is at east 50 years old may retire at any time and have that portion of his annuity calculated using the more generous formula. Any service over…
Q: My husband is 56 and we have been married for four years. He works with the Navy as a civilian and has 35 years of service. If he dies, will I get his civil service retirement? Will I still qualify for his Veterans Affairs benefits? How about his Social Security? I am 27. Does age make a difference? I know he doesn’t pay in for FEGLI. Do federal employees have life insurance covered by the government? A: If your husband were to die, you would be entitled to a survivor annuity. The same is true if he was eligible…
Q: When Brooks Air Force Base is closed by BRAC on July 29, I will have 29 years and four months of government service. My job has been moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, (TOW, although they call it non-TOF). I would like to retire through DSR but understand I must register in PPP and only if a suitable job is not found will I be eligible to retire under DSR but I must come out of retirement if a job is found. Is there a waiver process I might apply for which would request a no penalty (under…
Q: I am a 54-year-old federal employee with 32 years of service. I am under CSRS. I was an Air Force Reservist from April 1975 to June 1986. I know my weekend drills and summer camps are not eligible to be bought back. I was wondering if my initial six months of active duty for basic training and technical school is eligible. This would have been before my civil service start date of October 1978. A: As far as I can determine, active duty for basic training in the Air Force reserve is not considered to be creditable service.
Q: I work at a Naval Station Newport Fire and Emergency Services. Because of the continued shortage of personnel, long process of hiring and vacations, the AOU is continuous. Is there a way to get AOU Premium Pay as the LEOs do? A: Only through a change in the law.
Q: I retired early as my command relocated more than 50 miles outside my commute area. I subsequently sold my home and moved. Are any of my expenses such as buyer assisted closing cost and move expense tax deductible? A: No.
Q: I am a National Guard Technician with eight years as a GS employee. Can I apply any of those years toward a “6c” retirement (such as a Special Agent position within DEA or customs)? I turn 37 in January and would like to apply for a Special Agent position but I will be older than their mandatory hiring age limit unless those National Guard years apply (I won’t be able to have 20 years of service before the mandatory retirement age of 57). A: No, your years as a National Guard Technician cannot be counted toward retirement as a…
Q: I am a dual status employee in an excepted position with military affiliation with the Air National Guard as a condition of employment. If I elect to retire from my military position before the end of my enlistment and subsequently lose my civil service job, would it be considered a voluntary separation? I am eligible to retire from both and trying to determine if I am eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits. A: Eligibility for unemployment benefits is determined by the state in which you live. You’ll need to talk with a specialist in your state unemployment office.
Q: I am a federal employee under FSRDS, the old foreign service retirement system, having been under CSRS from my 1979 employment date to my conversion to foreign service in 1989. I had active-duty military time that I purchased for federal retirement. In 1968 I had about three months of civil service time with the Air Force as a civilian employee, and the $100 or so withheld for CSRS retirement was refunded to me in either the late 1960s or early 1970s. That three month’s service appears to be included in my Service Computation Date adjustment, along with the active…